


Co-Conspirators

by virusq



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Epistolary, F/F, Gen, HoloNet, Mixed Canon, No Sex, just normal teenage girls chatting about stuff, rarepairs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virusq/pseuds/virusq
Summary: As soon as Jyn sends the message she scowls. What idiot asks some rando on the Holonet if they're into making fake identities. Yes hello I am a rebel and I would like advice on how to dodge the Empire.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs Exchange 2019





	Co-Conspirators

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Artemis1000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis1000/gifts).



> I'm leaning a little heavy on the requests of "unusual formats" and "humor/comedy, quirkiness" for this fic. I'm also leaning real heavy on Rebel Rising + First Contact + Jade Solitaire.
> 
> I imagined this before Saw abandons Jyn, assuming Jyn is roughly 15 and assuming Mara is roughly the same age.
> 
> x
> 
> My eternal gratitude to Curuchamion for assisting in this adventure.

Jyn Erso stares down the barrel of the agent’s blaster. She’d known it was only a matter of time before the Empire caught up to her and Saw’s Partisans but she never imagined it would turn out like this.

It’s even harder to believe that the girl at the other end of the blaster is the same person she’s spent the last six months speaking with. She’d intended on reaching out and making a human connection with someone and it would have worked if it weren’t for one mistake she’d made in forging documents. One tiny little mistake. Now, the person on the other end of the blaster is about to cash out on that mistake.

None of it was really fair.

Mara Jade was supposed to be a kindred spirit. There were a lot of similarities between their stories. The Empire had warped both their childhoods, their families, and their futures. Jyn thought that Mara wanted the same thing: a future free from the death grip of the Empire.

But here she is, sprawled in an alley, at the wrong end of a blaster, with a fiery redhead facing her down.

“By the rite of the Emperor and the rights provided by Galactic Accordance 23 - B - 14, I apprehend you, renel scum! How do you plead?”

Jyn flashes her a look of defiant anger.

“I said how do you plead?” Mara growls, shoulders shaking with fury.

Jyn spits. “Go to hell, imperial pig!”

The responding shot is deafening.

* * *

The plan was simple. It looked terrible on paper but most of her plans look terrible on paper. When she thought about it, planning was a frequent subject of contention between her and Saw. Which is why, when she was trying to find a way out of her situation, she reached out to a small but trusted collective of budding security specialists on the Holonet.

Every artisan has a favorite method of honing their trade and for Jyn Erso, that creative outlet for obscure security specialists and budding slicers was the Holonet.

On one particularly fated evening, Jyn encountered one Jadefire13 and they hit off a conversation about the fallacies of security footage for street lamps, of all things.

> **stardust117** : i'm just saying, if they bothered to actually read the manual, they would realize that it wasn't as good as they thought
> 
> **jadefire13** : i know right? Anytime you can spray water on a circuit box and it shorts your entire network, you're not really thinking things through. does it not rain on your planet???
> 
> **stardust117** : haha
> 
> **jadefire13:** i started using hydrocord shielding on my blaster so it could be submerged and it really wasn't that hard
> 
> **stardust117** : you have a blaster? why does it go into water??? i have so many questions
> 
> **jadefire13** : no. it's not like that. my dad is an enthusiast.
> 
> **stardust117** : mine too
> 
> **jadefire13** : he thinks that I should have the upper-hand in every situation like the mean streets of coruscant require a carbine and assassin-grade martial arts prowess
> 
> **stardust117:** i went to school on coruscant and they did not let me carry a blaster

There’s a pause in the flow of conversation. The status indicator on Jyn’s datapad implies Jadefire13 is writing a response but has stopped and restarted it several times. Jyn wonders if she said too much, or gotten too personal.

> **jadefire13:** it's a special school
> 
> **stardust117:** oh
> 
> **stardust117** : hey do you like pie?

* * *

Jyn pops online and notices the small green dot next to Jadefire13's name to indicate that Jadefire13 is available to speak. she sends her a message.

> **stardust117** : are you any good at fake IDs?

As soon as she sends the message she scowls. What idiot asks some rando on the Holonet if they're into making fake identities. Yes hello I am a rebel and I would like advice on how to dodge the Empire.

> **jadefire13** : what like characters for a story?

Jyn jumps. She didn't expect anyone to answer. She quickly taps out a response.

> **stardust117** : yeah. I have a story and I'm looking for a character that's a young lady and attends this school but I don't know what details would be on her character sheet.
> 
> **jadefire13** : oh! I love these. my favorite characters are ones that are a little like you but not? what's your character like to do?

Jyn stares at the ceiling. What does a normal girl like to do? Jyn likes to run laps around the compound. Jyn likes to repair droid circuits after they’ve been slagged with blaster fire. Jyn likes to read about creepy things on the Holonet. Are those normal?

> **stardust117** : normal stuff?
> 
> **jadefire13** : like city normal? spacer normal? secret agent normal?
> 
> **stardust117** : naboo princess normal.
> 
> **jadefire13** : that's funny. naboo normal is a lot of lakes and high fashion and festival markets. i bet she's one of those girls that has a personal stylist droid.

Jyn frowns. 

> **stardust117** : personal stylist droid? what a waste.
> 
> **jadefire13** : i know, right? where's the fun in that? who needs someone to follow them around and tell them what's in season anyway?
> 
> **stardust117** : oh! i bet she really like ships. you know, the ones that go in the water.
> 
> **jadefire13** : oh good. and I bet she has a pet fish.

Jyn laughs. A pet fish. That's absolutely ridiculous. And kind of perfect.

> **stardust117** : do you have any suggestions for names?
> 
> **jadefire13** : for a naboo girl? they like the soft vowel sounds. cara, nola, erina, padme
> 
> **stardust117** : perfect! you're really good at this.

Jyn can see that Jadefire13 is typing something but hasn't sent it. She waits for the response but the busy signal stops animating. Jyn worries that maybe she scared her off and that would be a tragedy.

> **jadefire13** : yeah, i guess so. fake personalities are big at my school.
> 
> **stardust117** : which school do you go to, again?

The line goes dead.

* * *

Jyn can't help but think of Jadefire13 the next time she goes on a mission with Saw. Her ID proclaims her name is Jayda Hearn, a Naboo schoolgirl with a pet fish named Cat. She attends an elite school for junior diplomats and Saw is her personal assistant. 

Saw chuckles when he sees their identities; a rare occurrence. 

“Diplomatic immunity. Brave choice,” Saw comments as he reviews Jyn’s handiwork. “Brave choice. But a student ambassador: no one will think twice. Common security won’t have clearance to verify your identity and escalation could be a career-ender. Brilliant.” 

He pats her on the shoulder with a thick hand.

Jyn is very proud of the hard work that she’s poured into their cover stories. Between herself and her Holonet conspirator, Jyn has a stack of datacards detailing the fictitious lives of Brenna Mildoon, an aspiring actress, Keetra Hargraves, a street artist whose big secret is that her father’s a disgraced moff, and Mahdina Li, a Kuati shipyards heiress. 

As much as she revels in the accolades for her work, she’s confident sharing that pride with her co-conspirator is a bad gamble.

Being raised by a conspiracy theorist, Jyn wonders if Jadefire13 is the alias for some well-known ISB agent that is using their comradery to get to Saw. 

But she really likes sharing with Jadefire13.

It's an outrageous theory; ISB agents don't have a favorite flavor of pie.

Maybe Jadefire13 is a fellow rebel. It’s not outrageous to think that her special school is like Jyn's special school: maybe she knows fake IDs and blaster hardware because she's in the heart of Imperial territory.

Maybe they could be partners.

Maybe they should meet.

* * *

It's weeks before Jadefire13 is online again. Jyn is acutely aware of how long it's been because the status symbol next to her name declares "Offline for five weeks".

Jyn considers removing the alias from her favorites list; her previous Holonet relationships have taught her that anything after a three week absence will return as a new alias and anything after a five week absence is probably dead.

Jyn shivers at the thought. 

What does the Holonet think when she disappears for weeks at a time with Saw? What happens if Saw cuts off her Holonet access permanently? Who would adopt the moderator access to her document repo?

Jyn swaps the active tab on her datapad to a lecture on extra-vehicular exposure in space. It's a morbid topic but she loves it; she imagines it's so peaceful to drift among the stars in pure unending silence.

Sometimes, when she's alone in the quiet belly of the compound, she'll turn off the power and sit in her bunk just listening. Sometimes, when she’s blanketed by darkness and silence, she'll hold her kyber crystal close and she can hear singing. It's soft and something on the edge of sad, but not mournful. 

She wanted to tell Saw about it but he'd have probably reprimanded her for cold-booting the base electronics. Instead, she wrote an article about it on a Holonet collective about ghost stories.

It was a very popular thread.

Who would inherit that thread when she dies?

Also, the footnotes regarding differential exposure and survival rates for various species intrigue her.

The datapad chimes and startles Jyn. She leaps in her chair. A notification on her datapad informs her that Jadefire13 is online. A rush of ridiculous glee and embarrassment washes over her. 

> **stardust117** : hey! hi! what's up? i thought you were dead!

Well, that was overkill.

> **jadefire13** : hey! i wish. i had a mission.
> 
> **stardust117** : for school?
> 
> **jadefire13** : uh, no.
> 
> **jadefire13** : hey stardust? I think we should meet.

Jyn pales, a cold ball of ice forming in her stomach. On one hand, she’s ecstatic that her secret partner-in-crime wants to see her. On the other hand, if Saw knew she’s been conspiring with a stranger on the Holonet for the past few months, she’d be grounded to Wrea for the next century.

What could she possibly say to convince Saw to let her meet someone from the Holonet? Hey, Captain Gerrera, I need a lift to the heart of the Empire to meet a stranger I met on the Holonet.

Jyn frowns.

"Saw, I need to meet with an asset."

* * *

The Carida restaurant is a common thoroughfare for families. Stormtroopers or Saw's agents would stick out like Wookies at an Ewok celebration in this type of environment, which she assumed would provide protection to herself and her contact.

Saw isn’t convinced she should be running a mission alone but he admires her ambition. There isn’t a plan for the inevitable outcome where she returns empty handed but there’s plenty of time on the return flight home to work that part out.

Jyn fidgets with the coaster under her drink, condensation having long destroyed the structural integrity of the coaster before her nervous fingernails. Her datapad displays an article about local tourism but she hasn't gotten past the first paragraph.

A young man in an Imperial cadet uniform takes a seat across from her at the counter and she shrinks, suddenly very self conscious about the plan. It's not too late to leave.

"Stardust?" 

The name hits her like a turbolaser to the heart. She hasn't heard someone call her that for a lifetime. Her father used to call her that, in happier times. She used the moniker for the Holonet and never thought twice about it. Hearing it again is like a ghost of the past. It startles her.

Jyn stares at the girl that takes a seat next to her. Her black pants are a similar size and cut to Jyn's own. Her hair is the same length as Jyn's but styled and very, very red. Her green jacket is a faux military cut that serves as both fashionable and functional. She's the most beautiful person Jyn has ever seen.

"You're Stardust, right,” the girl asks, her green eyes intense.

Jyn shakes herself and stares, wide eyed. The code-phrase struggles to escape her lips. "Try the pie.”

The girl leans forward and surveys the nearby customers before answering with a little confusion. "I prefer the fish?"

"Jadefire!" Jyn squeaks. "I'm sorry. I'm very glad to meet you."

"Yeah. Uh. Hey." Jadefire's enthusiasm does not match Jyn's. In fact, the nervous flutter that Jyn feels looks much more like terror on the other girl's shoulders. "Remember the Naboo princess you were working on?"

Jyn's mouth twitches. She tilts her head. "We wrote that together."

Jadefire reaches across Jyn for a menu and deposits a disc at Jyn's right hand when she withdraws. Jyn retrieves her datapad from a jacket pocket and drops it on the disc. Her companion pretends to study the menu while a droid brings her a water.

Jyn taps the display of her datapad and chews on her lip. The disc is is a collection of files on Jayda Hearn, Junior Senator from Naboo. Detailed files, including images of Jyn and Saw.

Imperial files. 

Consciously, Jyn angles herself to flee; her left boot twists around her chair and tests its weight. She looks to her companion and slowly returns the datapad to her jacket. "What is this?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Jadefire carefully turns toward Jyn and reaches for her glass of water. The movement flashes a hidden blaster under her jacket. Her eyes never leave Jyn's. Jadefire hisses, "I'd really like to know how my Naboo princess is wanted for terrorism on three planets."

The silence between them is almost laughable given the ambient noise surrounding them. Families place orders, droids bus tables with metallic clattering, and children from various species squawk with glee. 

Jyn doesn't know what to say. She intentionally picked this location to exclude Saw's agents and thereby cut off any chance of backup. 

The truth can't be any more condemning than the obvious lie.

"My name is Jyn, not Jayda," she admits, careful to keep her tone even and lost among the din, "and I'm innocent of these charges."

"My name's Mara and I'm a fleet admiral," the redhead deadpans.

Jyn gapes. "You have to believe me. I don't know why I'm in these files."

Mara frowns and hazards a drink of water. Jyn briefly considers slapping the glass into the girl's face, stunning her long enough to attempt an escape. The files contain images, though. Images of Saw. Fleeing would be an admission of guilt. Mara sets the glass down but doesn't relax. Her casual display of on-edge behavior tells Jyn that Mara’s dad isn't the only security enthusiast.

"Okay, Jyn."

"Okay?"

"I helped create Jayda. She has a pet fish. She wouldn't bomb an embassy." Mara rolls her eyes for emphasis.

"Right," Jyn hastily agrees.

"But your face is still in those files." 

"I can fix that." Jyn nods, determined. "If you give me access to the repo, I can edit the files."

"Pfft. Basic." Mara waves her hand, dismissing the notion with an exaggerated gesture. "If I had access to master, I'd have sliced them already."

Jyn frowns. "Your dad?"

Mara winces. "The Empire is the one offering the bounty. They're only interested in one outcome for Jayda."

"Oh." Jyn beams. "I have an idea!"

* * *

The plan is simple. It looks terrible on paper but, then again, most of them do. 

And here she is, theatrically sprawled on the ground in an alleyway behind a vacant storefront. The fiery redhead waving a blaster at her is wearing her jacket, a mask pulled over her face to blur her features.

“By the rite of the Emperor and the authority provided by Galactic Accordance 23 - B - 14, I apprehend you, rebel scum!” Mara shouts at her and Jyn struggles not to laugh at the other girl’s over-acting. “How do you plead?”

Jyn clenches her teeth, giving Mara her most defiant angry-face.

“I said how do you plead?” Mara growls, shoulders shaking with fury.

Jyn spits. “Go to hell, imperial pig!”

The responding shot is deafening.

In that moment, Jyn’s entire life flashes before her. The after-image of the blaster bolt leaves her momentarily stunned and blinded. The blurry shadows pooling in her vision remind her vaguely of early memories from her childhood; the ringing in her ears sounds vaguely like the singing she hears in long, dark silence.

The red-headed girl was not playing around. She knew how to fire a blaster and, in retrospect, a point-blank shot was a terrible idea. It had to look good, though. Not even a Stormtrooper could miss at that range.

Jyn’s vision swims into focus as Mara lowers the barrel of her blaster. She relaxes visibly and offers Jyn a hand up. 

Jyn takes the hand and stands, brushing the dirt from her pants. Mara’s question is partially lost to the lingering whine in Jyn’s ears. “...nough? Do we need to do it again?”

“Not great but I don't think it takes much to convince an imperial that someone’s been shot.”

Mara scowls, fretting over her performance. “It was bad. I don’t know where that came from. I saw a holo once... I don't know. Maybe we should do it again.”

“No. It’s fine. I'll fix it in post.” Jyn dismisses the criticism with a laugh. It's a warm laugh, one that she hasn't felt for quite some time. “You didn’t need to actually fire the blaster, though. We could have added that in later.”

Mara smiles sheepishly. “I had the blaster already and I thought it would be more convincing.”

Jyn climbs atop a dumpster and reaches up toward the security camera they staged the display for. Swift fingers detach the device from its post and she tosses it to Mara before hopping down. Mara returns the device to her when she’s ready.

“This is good. We can use this,” Jyn reassures.

Mara shrugs, reaching a level of apathy only achievable by a resigned teenager. “Anything less than perfect and we’re both dead.”

“Pfft. Basic.” Jyn wraps her arms around her co-conspirator in a thankful hug. “We’ve got this.”

* * *

Jyn flexes every technical muscle she’s built in her time on Wrea to doctor the footage captured on Carida. Everything from the timestamp to the actors has been edited. Mara’s matte black outfit has been altered to look like armor; the holdout blaster looks more menacing with a sized up actress wielding it. The voice audio is lowered, rendering Mara’s nervous commands into authoritative orders. Jyn even adds a layer of grime to the piece in order to punch up its gutter-brawl authenticity.

Mara sends her credentials to upload the file to an imperial intelligence deaddrop. The clip is sent and both girls scrub their hands clean from the junior diplomat known as Jayda Hearn.

The hardest sell is convincing Saw that the recruitment attempt actually happened. After finding a security camera in her backpack, he convinces himself that she’s adopted his paranoia and needed secret surveillance supplies. With an exhausted eye-roll, Jyn confesses that she’s been researching anti-surveillance countermeasures and needed a field test: the best lies are the ones they tell themselves.

After a few anxious weeks, Jyn’s datapad pings. She fumbles in her jacket to retrieve the device.

> **jadefire13** : good news and bad news

Jyn’s heart plummets. She thought of everything. Was there a reflection she missed? Did the background audio contain something telling? Did the file get lost?

> **stardust117** : TELL ME
> 
> **jadefire13** : good news: the dust has settled
> 
> **stardust117** : bad news???
> 
> **jadefire13** : we’re now co-parents of a fish named cat

Jyn snorts a laugh and quickly covers her mouth, hoping the sudden outburst doesn’t draw attention from Saw. She buries her face in her pillow and giggles. Her datapad chimes again but she takes a moment to compose herself before reading the new message.

> **jadefire13** : hey stardust?
> 
> **stardust117** : yeah?
> 
> **jadefire13** : you owe me pie


End file.
